Bulb socket manipulator



June 14, 1949.

Filed April 12, 1946 l Haw-4g 1 G. R. CHADSEY BULB SOCKET MANIPULATOR 2Sheets-Sheet 1 Bnventor GEORGE CH/wsay,

Gttorneg Patented June 14, 1949 George-R-fcladseyrEst H'mptoilCoim/evIneas/f M-'Davis'and IdadD-Dickerson, both of Middleto'wng (Jorim,Y frexecutrices offrisa-i111."Geoivgfefv'Rei Ghadsey; s deceased;lassignors'? toI'Clfiadseya:Calw4v poration',. Hartford, Connf; a:corporftaionf sof Connecticut Application April i12, 1946:;zSer`I`J`11Nof 661279.@ i

10 Claims. 1.(

Tnrsnnvennonrelatesteeensexeetrieiight bulb@ socket 'manipulatorsan'dlismore "I paxtcuiarlyto a device -iorl reaching;` .:andgrippigwbulbsockets which( are'in lout.offreacltnpositiensi An :objectof:thea-presenti:inventionV isfto. provide, such: adevi'ceuwhichisieasyl to operate; and whichY manipulation:thereoftinzremovmg itifrom, -or` in-y sertingituintoza `holder;v

Asfurtheri' object?l of: my-l-inventiorreis totl providea device`whichisziparticulai'lit'duralole tand strengere` Further', objectsfaridoia;@tvaritagesfi of:y myzxinverr-rtion'wvill. be' moreclearlyeundersto'octtrom-zthe1iolf: lowing'- i description? andftrom'themaeoompanyrfg drawing', 'in' :which-ff Fig. I.' 1 is auf-.elevationalsicle-vievvSoif:a1-:deviceL embodyingmit?intferitioifr.amiislnzwvingf;the: sam-ew'- ini gripping I'po'sition:upon` van:electricl 'flight bulb socket;

2522 members so'v asftoinormally-urgef saidmei'nlaversgY outwardly:andltofvvardsAopen'l position; fas E.clearliop shown in;Figs.f-5fandv6a v Saidvsleeve"4 I llois'i` alsophovided:-With'ibossestp -f whichsactras stops for :thefsaidegrippingmembersw andA aff retaining plateau s :is-provided to. I retain-i saidgrippingf-rnembers. movablyauponi the.- sleeve |01; fandagainst-longitudinal@ movementswhenyl a i p11l=1:is. exerted=orif said1melnbens fin fthefuseot the@ n device.

The Xshank4 portionsl I4 ot the-f gripping -mem- 10ersv I2r'are bentras\.at=2-3, :to provide? cams Which-` are "engaged .by extensions.24'1on an'` operating plateY 25 that is rigidly-secured1tola :slidebarl` 2Iz`e` which 'f is i vslidable: iinaf boss 2I on? the)- -sleevel I0 The 'sa-id slidebar- 26 hasvan extension. 28 which actsv asaguideagainst thefedge of the hulle socket' to properlypositiontheVdevicey relatively thereto-,fz and Athev grippingk :lingers I 3- of YtheI lmembers r I 2 Fig; 2 isarrelevationalrearrviewof said=-rdetice..2m are providedfwithguid'e plates ZB-Vmrguiding'saidw length.'A-su-pportlng collar lisse'eureur-to"tlie A fsleeve I 0" iis;rotatablyfy mounted fonth'eA shell 5' andiirestsup'on' a shoulder.onftlie' collar-f1, ian'df 1 aretaining Icollar-.1I Ii is" secured tothelsaidf shellabove ther-sleeved o' tot' retain saldi sleeve#irri-posi;- .1 tion thereon andiagainstmongitudiiallmovementi ontheshell.`

Al par= 'ofA grippingl v-meniloz-irsi" 1 I 2 farei'lino'nnted!vupon-said sleeve.; eachf comprising "a 'grippingporftion I3 extendingtreinta shankl l'1I 4f which" projectsvertically from ahase -porti'om'l5' liavinga wardlyfI projectngfextension I 65? thatA isi rotatablycontainedfwithinffa .vertioab'oper-li'ngi:` I 1f* in ,annessiy 50"? lo?on said* sleevezy As` clearlyf *showrrrinf Fig. '3;11 the"lhaseportion-` tE-'extendslaroundithe s1ee1ve;i at opposite sidesthereoftarr katspring.'mvemiberr I9fisfpositionedfetweeit'acollaportioiQII-'orifsaid sleevand the. .basemoitiens1.1 |151oifti'reygripping.;

fingers onto thefsocket The. retaining collari- I Ii isnotched at-30to-provide-:stops 3I-32 which .engage theslidebar -2I`rv to Alimitmota-tingl movement of 'the 'sleeve I 0;.-

The' operation oiA my: improved.' socket'manipu-- lating'devlce'fisasfollows; l

When' it 'is desired to pull la socket, such .asindil from 'a holderT35, the said. devieeis firstiadjustedl tothe position,shown-in Figs,1t-and. .6,-Wherei-nn the operating plate 25 ismovedupwardly againstlthefbo'ttom of thegi'ipping fingers I3, the extensions24\arepositioned-in5 the .upper portion of` 'the-l slian'ks I 4abovethe-cams'ZS.; and the` said fingers.`

are inopen-fpositiom With the' device in this position; it 'isrstplacedagainst-'the socket: 33- withv the bulby -34- extending: through thenotch 25-a, ion the plate 25.: The entire device is then pushedupwardly-causing the p1ate225- to engage` vthe bottom-.of the socket33f'an-d they ngers @I 2l yto slipVV over thebeadSB-a commonlycfoundaround the bottom of the socket This upward movementlwill force theplate- 25. downwardlyrandcarry the extensions 24v to the-v tops-fof the'cam portions@ 3, -as clearlyA4 shownI in. Fig. 2, andtherebyfcloseltherfingers I21to gripping.. position around lthe-socketv23 andl-rmly retain them in saidfpositionzu Thefdownwardmovement ofthe:plate-2 5;' will -movel the L uhar, 26s therewithI i and-.intoengagement -Withthe stop-=wherein .the said-barwill-'position'.the-extensions.24-on topy of'. thes cam portions The:device: nis v theme-moved downwardlylto fthe position shovvnl '-irt.Figzfl wher-e. the iingers4 I-2-grp thei'socketsandengage the topvotthebeadf33-J-ayf- 3 while the plate 25 retains the said fingers rmly lockedin gripping position around the socket by means 'of the extensions 24resting upon the tops of the cam portions 23.

The device may now be pulled downwardly, by means of the pole 6, to pullthe socket 33 from the holder 35. After the socket has been removed fromthe holder, it may be detached from the manipulator by simply rotatingthe sleeve I upon the shell to bring the bar 26 against the stop 32, onthe collar I I, land out of engagement with the stop 8.

The plate may then be moved downwardly to the position shown in Fig. 5,wherein the bottom end of the bar 25 abuts the stop 9 and the extensions24 are out of engagement with the cam portions 23, the fingers I2 areopen and the socket 33 may be removed from the device.

When it is desired that the device be used for returning a socket to theholder 35, the socket is rst placed between the fingers I2 and thedevice is adjusted as shown in Fig. 1 with the bottom of the bar 26resting upon the stop 8. The socket is then raised into position toinsert the prongs 33-b thereon into the holder, and pushed into place.It will be noted that, as long `as the end of the bar 2E rests upon thestop 8, the extensions 24 on the plate 25 will remain upon the camportions 23 and the ngers I 2 will be retained in gripping position.

A iter the socket has been attached to the holder, the shell 5, with thecollar l, is rotated counterclockwise thus bringing the stop 8 out ofengagement with the bar 26. The device is then lifted, causing the plate25 to be moved downwardly and thereby carrying the extensions 24 belowthe cam portions :23 and permitting the fingers i2 to open under tensionof the spring I'9 and release the socket. rThe device may then bewithdrawn, thus leaving the socket and bulb therein attached to theholder 35.

From the above description, it will be clearly understood that theoperation of my improved socket manipulator to grip, or to release, asocket is controlled entirely by rotation of the shell 5,

which is attached to the pole E, within the sleeve IB; or by relativemovement between the said shell and sleeve. The said movement iscontrolled by the stops 3I-32 and the entire load,

applied by pulling upon the gripping fingers, will be taken up by theplate 22.

It will be also noted that the said plate 22 may be easily removed,should it become necessary to replace the iingers i2, by withdrawing thelock pin II-a, to detach 'the collar II from the end of the shell 5, andthen removing the screws 22-a to permit removal of the portion 6 fromthe shell 5.

I claim:

1. A manipulator of the character described comprising a supportingmember adapted to be secured to the end of a pole or extension, a pairof gripping fingers carried by said extension, and cam means controlledby longitudinal movement of said supporting member with said fingers tocause operation of said fingers.

2. A device of the character described comprising a supporting memberadapted to be :secured to the end of a pole or the like, avsleeverotatable on said. supporting member, a pair of `gripping: membersvswivelly secured to saidsleeve, a -cam portion on said grippingmembers; an operating member slidable on said gripping members andhaving ari-extension inoperative. engagement with said cam portion, foroperating said.. grip-,s

4 ping members, and stop means rotatable with said supporting member andrelatively to said sleeve for controlling the operation of saidoperating member and thereby the movement of said extension relativelyto said cam portion.

3. A device of the character described comprising a supporting member, asleeve rotatable A on said member, a pair of gripping members swivellysecured to said sleeve, means for retaining said gripping members uponsaid sleeve, cam portions on said gripping members, a bar slidable insaid sleeve, means carried by said bar and cooperative with said camportions for operating said gripping members, and stop means carried bysaid sleeve and rotatable relatively to said carrier for controlling thesliding movement of said bar and therethrough of said operating means.

4. A device of the character described comprising a supporting memberadapted to be secured to the end of a pole or extension, a sleeverotatable on said supporting member, a pair of gripping members swivellysecured to said sleeve, said gripping members having a vertical portion,a lateral extension with a downwardly projecting end portion swivellyconnected to said sleeve and a lateral extension in the upper end ofsaid vertical portion for engaging a light socket, cam means on saidvertical portion, a member slidable on said vertical portion andcooperative with said cam means for operating said gripping meml bers, abar connected to said slidable member and slidable in said sleeve, andstop means on said supporting member adapted to abut the end of said barand thereby control the movement of said slidable member andtherethrough the operation of said gripping members.

5. A device of the character described comprising a supporting memberadapted to be secured to the end of a pole or extension, a sleeverotatable on said supporting member, a pair of gripping members swivellysecured to said sleeve; said gripping members each comprising adownwardly extending portion extending through an opening in said sleevefor swivelly securing the gripping member, a portion extending laterallyfrom said end portion, a portion extending verti- -cally from saidlateral portion, and a curved portion extending laterally at the top ofsaid gripping members, the said top portions of the opposite grippingmembers being curved towards each other to provide a gripping loopcorresponding to the peripheral surface of a socket, means secured tosaid sleeve and engaging said lower lateral extension to resist pullexerted on said gripping members, a retaining collar secured to saidsupporting member for securing said sleeve to the support, a supportingcollar secured to said support below the sleeve, extensions on saidlatter collar providing stops, cam means for operating said grippingmembers, an operating plate cooperative with said cam means, and a barsecured to said plate and slidable in said sleeve;`

the end of said .bar abutting said stops whereby the movement thereof islimited to control the operation of the cam means by relative rotationbetween said sleeve and supporting member for movingthestopsinto or outof operating position` relatively -tosaidban andseparatestop means,I Yonfsaid retaining' collar,,adaptedftoabutv said described comcured tothe end of a pole or the like, a sleeve rotatable on said supportingmember, projections on said sleeve, a pair of gripping members swivellysecured to said sleeve, each of said gripping members having a' pivotingportion extending through openings in said projections, lateralportionson said gripping members extending partially around said sleeve and inopposite directions, spring means between said lateral portions forurging said gripping members towards open position, cam means on saidgripping members, a bar slidable through an opening in one of theprojections in said sleeve, an operating member carried by said bar, anextension on said member engageable with said cam means for operatingsaid gripping members, a supporting collar on said support forpositioning said sleeve thereon and having extensions forming stopscooperative with said bar to limit the movement of said operatingmember, a retaining collar upon said supporting member for resistingmovement of the sleeve through pulling action on said gripping members,and separate stop means for positioning said bar relatively to the stopson the said supporting collar.

7. A device of the character described comprising a supporting memberadapted to be secured to the end of a pole or extension, a carrierrotatable on said supporting member means swivelly carried upon saidcarrier for gripping a socket, spring means urging said gripping meanstowards open position, an operating member engageable with said socketand operable by movement of the manipulator relatively to said socketfor controlling said gripping means, and means operable by rotation ofsaid supporting member relatively to said carrier for controlling theoperation of said operating member.

8. A device of the character described comprising a shell adapted to besecured to the end of a pole or a supporting shoulder on said shell, asleeve rotatable on said shell, a pair of gripping members swivellysecured to said sleeve and adapted to grip an electric socket, springmeans urging said gripping members towards open position, a retainingcollar secured to said shell, a bar slidably mounted in said sleeve, cammeans on said gripping members, an operating member carried by said barand operable by engagement with said socket and cooperative with saidcam means for controlling the operation of said gripping members, andstop means on said shell adapted to be brought into position relativelyto said slide bar for controlling the operation of said operatingmember.

9. A device of the character described comprising a supporting memberadapted to be secured tothe end of a pole or extension, a carrierrotatable on said supporting member, a pair of gripping members swivellysecured to said carrier, spring means urging said gripping memberstowards open position, socket engaging portions on said grippingmembers, cam means on said gripping members, an operating member,extensions on said operating member adaptedto engage said cam means forclosing said gripping members to gripping position against the tensionof said spring, a bar secured to said operating member and slidable insaid carrier, a stop on said supporting member abutting the end of saidbar for locating said operating member relatively to said cam means, thesaid stop being movable by rotation of said supporting member relativelyto said sleeve to disengage said bar and permit further movement of saidoperating member, to release said cam means and thereby cause openingmovement of saidgripping members through the tension of said spring.

10. A device of the character described comprising a supporting member,a carrier rotatable on said supporting member, a collar for positioningsaid carrier, a pair of gripping members secured to said carrier, springmeans urging said gripping members towards open position, cam means onsaid gripping members, an operating member having portions cooperatingwith said cam means to control the operation of said gripping members, abar slidably mounted in said carrier, a supporting shoulder on saidsupport, and stop means on said support operable by rotation of saidsupporting member relatively to said sleeve to permit movement of saidmember by engagement with a socket relatively to said cam means forcausing said gripping members to close; the said stop means being alsoadapted to be moved to another position to permit further movement ofsaid operating member to release' said cam means and thereby causeopening movement of said gripping members through the tension of saidspring.

GEORGE R. CHADSEY.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,121,759 Printiss Dec. 22, 19142,280,422 Harcos Apr. 21, 1942 2,405,760 Shaks Aug. 13, 1946 FOREIGNPATENTS Number Country Date 21,486 Great Britain Nov. 27, 1900 53,609Sweden Jan. 12, 1922 531,647 France Oct. 28, 1921

